Rebecca Wagner
by Swift Bolt99
Summary: Selina is called back into action by Division Nineteen when a biomedical engineer goes missing. Is the woman in question the victim of an abduction or the mastermind of a devious plot against Gotham City?" Takes place one month after the events of Facility-45.
1. Chapter 1

Rebecca Wagner

Wayne Manor

8:00AM

Bruce Wayne was sitting in the kitchen having French toast, bacon and coffee while reading a newspaper. The page he was one was talking about the latest developments in the ongoing feud between Penguin and Nygma.

"Those two must really enjoy being at each other's throats," Bruce said to himself.

"That's a nice breakfast you got there, B." Bruce dropped the paper and saw Selina walking up to him. She pulled out the chair on his left and sat down."

"Good morning, Selina. How are you doing?"

Just peachy, B. I just got back from Gary, Indiana."

"Another operation with Division Nineteen?

"Yep, we smashed a terrorist sleeper cell that was getting ready to go west to try and blow up the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The assault team filled the house with smoke and I walked in and picked off the bad guys one by one with a silenced Beretta, I bagged fourteen men in total."

"Did you find any explosives?"

"Oh yeah, four-thousand pounds worth. It was the main reason why we went for the silent but deadly approach instead of the guns blazing one we would normally employ. Sandra was concerned that the bad guys would panic and set their stuff off. It would've turned half the block into a crater if they did."

"I'm glad that you accomplished your mission Selina. Do you feel any different since you started working for Division Nineteen?"

"Apart from no longer having to steal on a daily basis, not really. But I do enjoy traveling, kicking ass and getting paid pretty well for it. Also, I got this very cool watch, it's a called a smart watch."

"I've heard of those before, they're actually watch sized computers," Bruce said.

"It also comes with a built in GPS, the thugs on the street would kill to get something like this."

"Has Sandra cleared you to tell me about your op in Arizona?"

"I'm still waiting for the greenlight, Bruce. But I'm sure it will come in due time."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your chat with Ms. Kyle, Master Bruce. But I'm afraid her services are required once again," Alfred said. Bruce and Selina turned and saw Alfred and Major Reddington standing the kitchen entrance, Selina instantly jumped to her feet.

"Hello again, Agent Kyle. I will admit that it's fancy for us to be meeting again so soon but like Mr. Pennyworth said, we got ourselves a situation."

"Another terrorist cell in need of shutting down?"

"No. This time a biomedical engineer by the name of Rebecca Wagner has gone missing. The FBI is currently searching her house for any clues that might pertain to her disappearance, but the Ice Queen wants you and my team suited and booted at Marvin Air Force Base ASAP." Ice Queen was the codename for the head of Division Nineteen, Brigadier General Sandra Hayes.

"Alfred, I want you to take me to Ms. Wagner's house so I can join the investigation team."

"Special Agent Hayes had a feeling you would be interested in this, Mr. Wayne and she told me to tell you that you're more than welcome to join her if you wish."

"Great," Bruce replied then ran off to get dressed.

"I'll go bring the car around and whatever you and the boys are heading into Ms. Kyle, good luck."

"Thanks, Jeeves," Selina replied then followed Reddington out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Wagner's Residence

9:00AM

Special Agent Ashley Hayes was debriefed by one of her people as other agents were walking out with boxes of seized documents."

My team conducted another check of the crawl spaces and didn't find anything. It looks like we cleaned this place out pretty good, ma'am."

"Thank you, Agent Sharma, head back to your vehicle and prepare for departure." Sharma nodded then walked away."

"Looks like this house had quite renovation." Ashley turned around to the sound of the familiar British sounding voice and saw Alfred and Bruce.

"Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, so great to see you two again."

"You as well, Ashley and congratulations on your promotion."

"Thanks, Bruce and welcome to what's left of our little party here."

"Did you find anything that could help in locating Rebecca Wagner?" Bruce asked.

"We took the hard drive out of her computer along with several boxes of documents and you as you can see we literality tore this place apart to ensure that we didn't miss anything. I had some of my people go to town on the walls with sledgehammers and pull up the floorboards."

"Did you check the attics and crawl-spaces?"

"We sure did Alfred, every square inch top to bottom.

"Were there any signs of a struggle when you arrived?"

"No. We're currently running on the assumption that she was snatched on her way back home last night. Her boss gave us the call this morning when she failed to return his calls."

"Who does she work for?" Bruce asked.

"If you and Alfred are willing to accompany us back to the field office. I'll give you a full briefing on our missing person."

"Okay, Bruce said.

Before leaving, there was one more thing Ashley wanted to show them. She pulled up the small tab on the right sleeve of her new FBI jacket which was black instead of the usual blue and the letters of the agency were in white on the back and the patch beneath the tab consisted of three letters, XIX.

"So you're part of Sandra's unit too?"

"Every Agent at the field office is, Bruce. When me and Selina got back from Arizona, Sandra dropped by and recruited every single agent in the building. It didn't take much convincing to get people to sign up for dual employment status once they learned what Division Nineteen is all about."

"Your sister really knows how to charm people into joining her organization," Alfred commented.

"Some people just have the Midas touch," Ashley replied.

Marvin Air Force Base

9:20AM.

After suiting up on her jet which was stationed at the base on twenty-four hour standby in case she needed to fly out of town on for a mission, Selina walked into a hangar dressed in black BDUs and tactical gear where the rest of Major Reddigton's strike force was waiting, she counted fifty men and fourteen women all geared up and heavily armed like her. Their weapons ranged from M-23 assault rifles, M-249 SAWs, FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles, and Scarlett railguns, a weapon Selina used to great effect during her op in Arizona.

"Welcome to our staging area, Agent Kyle." Reddington said.

"Thanks, Major. Anything new.

"The FBI is in process of going over all of the documents they seized from the house and General Hayes will be briefing us shortly. I see you've selected the mainstay assault rifle of our unit for this op," Reddington replied referring to the M-23 she was holding.

"I thought I'd try out a new weapon and I also got the Scarlett in the Kevlar case on my back."

"Hmm, I figured you would never part with the railgun after using it in Arizona," Reddington commented.

"You guessed right, sir."

"Only call me sir when we're on mission or in training. I'm not really a stickler for formalities."

"Major, we have an incoming transmission from the Ice Queen," Captain Austin reported

Upon hearing those words, everyone scrambled to form up without even being told. Reddington and Selina quickly followed.

Ten seconds later, Brigadier General Sandra Hayes appeared on the screen in her dimly lit ops room at the Pentagon, the darkness fitted her perfectly.

"At ease ladies and gents, she said they everyone relaxed their postures somewhat. As you are all aware, Dr. Rebecca Wager of Tyson Industries has gone missing. Based on the fact that she never made it home last night nor that she checked with her employer, it's safe to assume that she has been abducted. We don't know who snatched or why, but considering her background, it's imperative that she is found and rescued ASAP."

Selina dared a question and asked Sandra what Wagner's background was.

"In her Army days, she worked at USAMRIID where she conducted various research projects on chemical and biological weapons, namely ones that haven't hit the news yet in the name of developing countermeasures for them. After she left the service, she found a job at Wayne Enterprises as a biomedical engineer. A few years after she left the company, she went to work for Tyson industries after they made her a better offer."

"Maybe we should pay them a visit."

"The folks at the Gotham field office already have and they appear to be clean of any wrongdoing, for the moment anyway.

"What about the GCPD?" Although I don't trust them as far as I can see them."

"Captain Gordon is aware of this situation and is on a need to know basis, if we need backup from his department, we will call them. But I think that's highly unlikely given our size and strength."

"The less GCPD involvement, the better," Selina commented.

"But that doesn't change the fact that Ms. Wagner could be anywhere in the country or the world. I will speak to our Air Force counterparts to get some aerial transportation for you guys so in the event we get a fix on her location, we can drop in and extract from whatever hole she may be locked up in."

"Sounds like a plan, General. I have a kill house set up on the base, I would like to run my people through some hostage rescue practice while we wait."

"You may do so, Major Reddington. I'll be back if there's any new developments. After Sandra switched off the screen Reddington turned to address the group.

"Alright everybody, you will each be divided into four man teams for this exercise. Agent Kyle, you will be with me, Brolin, and Austin."

"Awesome."

One more thing, this is going to be a live fire exercise so please remember to watch your shots. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the rest of the force replied in unison.

"Let's begin, my team will go in first to kick things off."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Marvin Air Force Base

The moment the flashbang fell in from the small gap in the skylight, it erupted in a bright flash then Reddington, Austin, Brolin, and Selina stormed in engaged the carboard cutouts of the hostage takers with their rifles.

"Clear," Brolin said.

"Clear," Selina announced

"Clear," Austin reported then Reddington went up to inspect the cardboard cutout of Dr. Wagner which was sitting in a chair tied and blindfolded.

"Not a single mark on the hostage, good work, team."

"We did it again, yeah," Brolin said then gave Austin a high five as Selina removed her facemask.

"So what number would this session be? We've gone through so many of them I've lost count."

"Session 408 and this is the last one for the day," Major Reddington replied then his phone started ringing and he pulled it from his upper vest pocket. "Major Reddington speaking." The one way conservation took less than a minute, after hanging up, Reddington turned back to Selina.

"So what's up?"

"New mission for you Agent Kyle, I want you to hop on an Osprey and go pick up Bruce along with any useful company."

Gotham Field Office

Bruce and Alfred were in the operations room going over the all of the data about Rebecca Wagner. After the team briefing, Bruce asked Ashley if they could have paper copies and she provided them in two folders.

"I can't help but feel like we're missing something, Alfred."

"What do mean, Master Bruce?" Aside from disappearing, her record seems cleaner than the streets in the city. Graduated from Anderson Prep Academy with honors then went on to Gotham University for four years before joining the Army where she reached the rank of Major where she spent time coming up with counter measures for chemical and biological weapons. Afterwards she left the service to work for your company and then went to work for a competitor."

"Her educational and professional life is an open book, but we don't know anything about her personal life. Nothing about a family or even an address."

"Either she moved around the city a lot or went to great lengths to keep her place of residence a secret."

"But why?" Bruce's moment of pondering was interrupted when Baldwin and Ashley came running down the stairs.

"I hate to interrupt the your brainstorming, but we just got an urgent message from our cat friend, Baldwin said then then placed the radio he was holding on the table.

"What's up, Selina?"

"Bruce, you and the gang need to get your asses in gear and up to the roof. I'm inbound with an Osprey to pick you guys up. This little search of ours is going mobile."

"Understood, we'll be up there soon," Bruce said.

"Well make it snappy, you guys got less than five mikes."

"Emerson's TAC team is already on its way up," Ashley said.

"Great. Agent Baldwin, if want you to be ready to coordinate with Captain Gordon if we uncover anything that might pose a threat to Gotham.

"Lines of communication with the GCPD are already established. Happy hunting out there."

"Thanks, Agent Baldwin. Alfred, Ashley, let's go."

One minute later, the trio met up on the roof with Emerson and his eight man team who all geared up and ready for action.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Wayne. You three are just in time for the bird," Agent Emerson said.

"It's a little cold up here," Alfred commented.

After circling the building, the Osprey pointed its rotors then descended onto the landing pad. The back ramp came down and two crew cheifs came out to usher them aboard. The team didn't waste any time getting on.

"Where's Selina?"

"I'm in the cockpit and manning the flight controls, Bruce. And I suggest you strap in like everyone else. This thing can get a little shaky at times."

"As long as you don't kill us Ms. Kyle, I can live with it."

"Oh where is your faith, Alfred? And it's Agent Kyle as of now. Before we take off, you will all have to sign a nondisclosure agreement which basically says if you breathe a word of where we're going and what we're doing to anyone not in the know, you'll be charged with treason. That pertains to you as well, Bruce. No offense."

"None taken." Selina's copilot, 1st Lieutenant Chaz unbuckled his seat belt then went down to the cabin with a digital tablet containing the NDA. It was quickly signed by everyone then he returned to the cockpit and gave Selina the thumbs up after strapping back in.

"Cat Zero-One to Cloud Nine, we are departing the field office and coming to you. ETA seven minutes."

"Roger, Zero-One, you'll be cleared to land on pad three."

The Osprey rose back up into the night sky, tilted its rotors forward and headed to its destination.

AN. The question of where Selina learned to fly will be answered in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

Cloud Nine

12,000 feet above Gotham

After touching down on pad three, the Osprey was brought down into the hangar where it was towed into a nearby parking space.

"You are now free to disembark from the craft," Selina said then pushed the button that lowered the ramp. She and Chaz exited through the side doors.

After making it to the front of the craft, Bruce looked around and saw dozens of other Ospreys in the bay along with a dozen Pave Hawk helicopters. All painted black just like the one they arrived on.

"Selina, where are we?"

"Cloud Nine. Think of it as a home away from home, in the sky."

"Are you telling me we're standing on a flying base?" Alfred asked.

"That's right," Sandra said as she approached them with Major Reddington right beside her. "You guys have a good flight?"

"We sure did, Sandra. Agent Kyle here is one steely eyed pilot," Ashley said.

"I got us up here without breaking a sweat, General. And they all signed the NDA before takeoff."

"I know, I received the copy on my messenger. Agent Emerson, Major Reddington will get you and your team squared away. Bruce, Alfred, little sis, follow me up to the ops center. We got some new developments regarding Dr. Wagner."

"And so the plot thickens," Alfred said as they got moving.

Ops Center

The elevator doors opened and Sandra led the group into the room which was mostly dark apart from the light coming from the display screens. A man dressed in an Air Battle Uniform turned to greet them.

"Agent Kyle, Agent Hayes, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Pennyworth, welcome aboard. I'm Brigadier General Seth of the United States Air Force and the commander of Hangar Eighteen. Like Division Nineteen, we work from the shadows.

"So you're the head of a shadow air force?"

Exactly, Mr. Wayne. In case you're wondering why we have one, the best answer I can offer is when you spend more on defense than everybody and their mother combined, why not?"

"I heard about you before, General. You were once an F-15C pilot that was referred to as Snake Eyes."

"Yep, that's me. But I never liked the call sign. Anyway, I believe my Army friend has some new info for you." Everyone turned to Sandra and she began the briefing.

"At approximately eighteen-hundred hours local time, Dr. Wagner was spotted disembarking from a Gulfstream Five at Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming"

"That's a dumb name for an airport. But given that it's in the bored and boring state, I can't say I'm surprised." Selina's comment drew a chuckle from some in the room.

"Wyoming is what drove me into the Air Force. Not so much a burning desire to defend it but to get the fuck out of it," Seth said.

"Under normal circumstances I would find all jabs at the state of Wyoming amusing. But this is a serious mission, so let's get back to the business at hand," Sandra said with a slight edge in her voice. Everyone shifted back to serious mode and Sandra continued." Security cameras spotted her entering the terminal with a four man escort where they met four other men and took off in an unmarked van that was parked out front.

"Do we still have a bead on them?" Bruce asked.

"Unfortunately our tailing team lost them, but the plane she arrived on has been seized and is being examined for evidence. Hopefully our guys will have something for us when we arrive."

"Whoever owns that plane must be considerably wealthy," Alfred commented.

"Why would her abductors bring her all way across the country?"

"It could be anything Bruce, from a high level ransom or forcing her to work on some nefarious project. I think the later is more likely," Ashley replied then asked her sister about their ETA.

"ETA is six hours. Once we're above the state we'll start listening for communications pertaining to the HVI. Once we get a fix on her location, we'll launch an operation to either rescue or eliminate her depending on what side of the fence she's on when we reach her. In the meantime, I want you all to get some R&R. Dismissed."

After the briefing, Alfred and Ashley went their separate ways but Bruce and Selina remained together as they walked down the hall.

"So where did you learn to fly, Selina?"

"After my op in Arizona, Ashley and I remained in the state for a couple of days for a little sight-seeing, some fun with guns on the range, then someone from up high thought it would be a good idea for me to get some extensive flight training and so back to Luke Air Force Base we went which ended up turning a few days into a few weeks."

"And they taught you how to fly an Osprey?"

"That along with F-16s and F-35s. This place has three full squadrons of them. The F-35s are amazing planes."

"Sounds like you're shaping up to be a jack of all trades agent."

"Yep. And in case you're wondering, it was General Seth who pitched the idea to Sandra. They're actually close friends."

"Not surprising for someone in Sandra or Ashley's position to have friends in high places. But what's your assessment of him? I know you once said I'm not the best judge of people."

"He's seems like an affable guy, just refrain from bringing up anything about his eyes."

"Even his call sign?"

"Especially that. One time he mentioned flying across the classroom and nearly choking the life out of one of his classmates for calling him snake eyes back in third grade and whenever his squadron mates called him that, he would quietly imagine them as a Mig or Flanker jet he was about to shove an AMRAAM or Sidewinder into."

"Sounds a little psychotic if you ask me."

"Just heed what I just told you about him and you'll be fine. So what do you want to do now?"

"I want to see more of this place, just how big is it?"

"Over a kilometer long and it has a cloaking field. I'll stick with you so you don't get lost."

"Thanks, Selina."

"As always."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Cloud Nine

"Well done, Mr. Wayne. You made it through that flight like a pro," Captain Keith Copperfield said as Bruce took off the helmet and handed it to a nearby Airman. Copperfield was the leader of one of the onboard F-35 squadrons. Bruce just completed a mission on one of the F-35 simulators that involved flying to a waypoint at the end of a canyon.

"Thank you, Captain. You guys are flying a very remarkable fighter. I like how the radar automatically highlighted the turn points throughout the canyon and being able to see through the floor of the plane with the DAS system was a big plus too."

"Interesting fact for you Bruce, the mission u just flew was an exact copy of a flight I performed when I was in Arizona. Flying through a canyon at high speed in the middle of the night was a very awesome experience."

"I can imagine, Selina." Bruce replied as Agent Hayes walked in.

"Bruce, Selina, I'm sorry to interrupt the flight training, but we've just arrived over Wyoming which means my sister just called for a team briefing."

"Race you to the ops center, Bruce," Selina said then took off running. Bruce hopped out of the simulator and ran after her.

"Damn, those two took off like rockets," Copperfield commented."

"Yeah, and I'm about to go make sure they don't fall or bump into anybody."

Cloud Nine Ops Center

Sure enough, Bruce, Selina, and Ashley made up the ops center without incident and joined Alfred, Emerson and Reddington along with some of the team members, General Hayes was standing in front of the main screen while General Seth stood off to the side.

"Alright people we've just entered the boots on the ground phase of this operation and I got some good news and bad news."

"I always prefer the bad news first, ma'am," Major Reddington said. Sandra gave him a smile then proceeded to deliver said news.

"The plane Dr. Wagner and her captors arrived on was wiped clean. No flight data, no finger prints and the tail number was sprayed over. The good news is that the team following the van found its remains on the side of a road near a thick wooded area."

"What happened to it?" Bruce asked. Sandra brought up the image of it and it looked like a mangled mess.

"It looks they blew it before they left, Master Bruce."

"Unless they were picked up by another vehicle, they have be somewhere close."

"That's exactly what we were thinking, Mr. Wayne," Sandra said. "Due to the location of the wreck we've narrowed our search area down to this wooded area. It spans over several miles so those of you going down there first are going to be in for a very long search. Agent Emerson, you and your team will be inserted four miles up the road and Agent Kyle you will be inserted by the wreck."

"With your permission General, I would like to have Bruce and Alfred along for the trip."

"If they want to join you, they can."

"Count me in," Bruce said.

"If Master B is going down there then so am I. General Seth, are there any creatures you would recommend watching out for down there?"

"Bears, Wolves, Coyotes, and foxes, Foxes don't go out of their way to attack people, but just give them a wide berth if you come across them. Same goes for the other animals

"No problem. Our goal is recovering Ms. Wagner. Alive hopefully."

"Once you locate the hideout of Dr. Wagner and her captors, call in jackpot and Major Reddington will show up his team. Depending on the size of hideout, he could be arriving with a platoon or a battalion size force. One way or another we are going succeed, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," everyone replied in unison.

"You got thirty minutes to gear up, get to it."

"Bruce, Alfred, Selina, happy hunting down there."

"Thank you, Ashley. I wish you were coming along with us."

"So do I. But I have to remain up here in my supervisor role and I also have to keep my ears open for any news coming out of Gotham."

"We understand but I promise you we'll be back in once piece with Dr. Wagner in tow."

"Be careful what you promise Bruce," Selina said under her breath then left the room. Bruce and Alfred followed. "I highly recommend loading for bear when we get to the armory."

"Loaded for bear?" Bruce inquired.

"It means to be ready for anything and everything, Master Bruce."

After gearing up in the armory, Selina, Bruce, and Alfred were in the back of an Osprey on the way to their insertion point. Alfred's weapons load out was just like Selina's. A M23 assault rifle, an M9 Beretta, a combat knife, and a Scarlet railgun. Selina told him it was her best friend during her Arizona op which she still wasn't cleared to go into details about. Bruce packed an M9 and some extra magazines. Inwardly, he was hoping he wouldn't have to use either.

"Are you nervous, Ms. Kyle?"

"You would be better off asking Bruce that question."

"I'm perfectly fine, Selina."

"Thirty seconds to the drop point," the pilot announced from the cockpit. The trio performed one more check of their gear and weapons and everything was in the green. The Osprey arrived at its destination and hoovered low enough for them to jump out the back then flew away.

"Welcome to Wyoming, guys," Selina said then activated her radio. Cat Zero-One to Athena, we are on the ground."

"Copy that. Emerson's TAC team call sign Jason just entered the AO," Ashley replied."

"We'll be making our entrance soon, Cat out." Selina slid her night vision goggles down and turned them on. Everything was now in a red glow. Alfred and Bruce had theirs on too

"So what's the play, Agent Kyle?" Alfred asked.

"We stick together and find our jackpot. Unless we find it or someone or something finds us, stay silent and one more thing."

"Yes?"

Safeties off beyond this point."

The team formed up and into the Wyoming wilderness they went.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Gotham City

6AM

After picking the box up off the porch and setting it on the kitchen table, Eddie Davis pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number he was instructed to a few weeks ago.

"Boss, it's me."

"Have you received the package?"

"Yes, boss."

"Good, proceed to your job and deliver to recipient."

Blackgate Prison

Two hours later

Anthony Smith sat silently on his cell bed looking down at the floor like he always did. Prison had taken a toll on the man from the beatings he received when he was anywhere else in the prison but his cell to the desolate nature of his dwellings. He really regretted doing what he did, but it was way too late for redemption now.

Suddenly, a white mist came down through the vents on the ceiling engulfing the hallway and the cells.

A few seconds later, Anthony experienced a violent coughing fit. He then rolled onto the floor where he struggled to breathe.

Gotham City FBI Field Office

Upon hearing the alarms, Special Agent Baldwin ran into the operations and asked for a SITREP.

"Sir CBRN sensors have detected two events right here in Gotham. One is at Blackgate and the other is at the Light of Mercy rehab center," Agent Ellis said. Bladwin knew they needed to act fast.

"Scramble HAZMAT and TAC teams to both sites now and alert the GCPD. We may have a chemical or biological attack on our hands."

Cloud Nine Ops Center

"Agent Hayes, I have an incoming call from Agent Baldwin, he says it's urgent," Agent Olberman said. Sandra and Seth ran over to her station upon hearing that."

"What's the bad news?" General Seth asked.

"We're about to find out. Patch him through, Olberman," Ashley ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." The overhead speaker popped on and sirens could be heard.

"Baldwin, this is Ashley. What's going on?"

"CBRN sensors detected two events popping off in the city that may be chemical or biological in nature. Incidents sites are the Star of Mercy rehab center and Blackgate Prison. HAZMAT and tactical units have been scrambled to both. I'm with the unit heading for Blackgate."

"And the GCPD?"

"They're rolling too. Captain Gordon and Detective Bullock will meet my guys at the prison. The warden has already initiated lockdown protocols and the field office has been sealed in case of further attacks."

"This is Sandra, do you need anything from our end?"

"I'll let you know after we assess the situation in the city. I'll report back in an hour, Baldwin out."

"General Seth, I just received word from NORAD that additional takeoffs from Gotham International Airport have been canceled and all inbound flights have been diverted to other airports."

"Thank you, Captain. Anything else?"

"Four F-15E Strike Eagles just took off from Marvin, sir. They'll be over the city to fly CAP in two minutes."

"Olberman, any additional police activity?" Ashley asked."

"GCPD has locked down a five block radius around both incident sites."

"Status on Selina and Emerson's teams?"

"They're still on the move, ma'am."

"We'll notify them of the attack after we get more info," Ashley replied.

Blackgate prison

Thirty minutes later.

By now the parking lot was littered with over four-hundred green body bags brought by the GCPD and FBI HAZMAT teams. All of the victims were inmates and guards from C wing, a section of the prison for those who committed sexual crimes.

"I can't say I feel bad for these punks, but why would someone gas a prison? Better yet, why would someone gas once section and not the whole damn place?"

"Maybe someone who has a very deep hatred of rapist and pedophiles, Bullock."

"Look Jim, I hate them as much as the next normal guy but I think their punishments should've been more drawn out. By drawn out I mean wasting away slowly in a cell along with the daily beatings when they find themselves around the other inmates."

"Sometimes they are even beaten to death," Jim replied.

"Still more drawn than what happened to these guys." Agent Baldwin hung up his cell phone and walked over to them with Agent Garcia beside him.

"Captain Gordon, Detective Bullock, my team at the Rehab center reports sixty-two fatalities all patients and staff were wiped out. The medical examiner on site confirms that all of the victims were poisoned."

"Just like the ones here. Did their cameras record the same white mist the appeared here?" Gordon asked.

"Affirmative. Based on what we have so far, we believe this chemical agent entered both buildings through their ventilation systems."

"Just what kind of patients were at that rehab center?" Bullock asked.

"People trying to get over there their drug and gambling addictions."

"So not only does our perp hate sexual predators but druggies and gamblers too," Bullock commented.

"We could dealing with more than one perp here," Gordon said. "Agent Baldwin, do you think this could be connected to Dr. Wagner?"

"I wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility. First she goes missing and then this mess occurs.

"Have you located her yet?"

"No, Detective. But we hope to find her soon. To be honest, I think this was some some sort of sick test run."

"I agree. Why just target people who are frowned upon by society and stop there. If I was a bad guy looking to unleash a chemical or biological weapon, I would go for the downtown core of the city. A lot more people to target and the chaos that would result from such an attack would be enormous."

"I hope whoever we're dealing with doesn't have your brains, Jim," Bullock commented.

"You and me, both."

"And me as well," Baldwin added as Garcia replied to someone over his headset.

"Excuse me sir, but we just found a body on the prison roof.

"Let's get up there, Garcia stay here."

"Yes, sir.

Baldwin, Gordan, and Bullock made their way up to the roof and approached the body that was being covered by two TAC team members.

"Cleveland, report," Baldwin said.

"Sir, ID confirms the victim's name is Eddie Davis, he appears to be a maintenance worker here. We also found a device sitting above one of the vents."

"That explains how the gas got in," Gordon commented." "It looks like he took a gunshot to the head too."

"Did you find a weapon on him, Agent Cleveland?"

"No, sir. I think he was sniped after planting the device.

"Whoever put him up to this is clearly covering their tracks."

"I agree, Captain. I'm going to call DHS and recommend raising the threat level for this city to orange because these two attacks may be the tip of the iceberg."

"I'll have my department set up checkpoints throughout the city and at the bridges and the train station too."

"Great. I'll call in some additional people to help with the harbor so you guys can concentrate more on the other areas."

"Much appreciated, Agent Baldwin."

After informing the Department of Homeland Security about the chemical attacks, Baldwin contacted Ashley and Sandra to bring them up to speed on the situation and request additional personnel to support the GCPD in their security efforts. Sandra sent an activation order to one of Division Nineteen's Rapid Reaction Companies on the east coast and within the hour, a force of one-hundred fifty men arrived in Gotham. Most of them secured the harbor while others set up observation posts throughout the city and deployed drones equipped with sensors capable of detecting any chemical, biological or radiological materials trying to get into the city.

If a vehicle or ship was detected with said materials onboard, the troops would move to seize and secure them. There was no need to worry about something getting in by air. Any aircraft that refused to divert from GC airspace after one warning would be shot down.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Wyoming wilderness

7:00AM

With the sun coming up, Selina, Bruce, and Alfred lifted their NVGs as they walked across the open plain. They received word of the two chemical attacks in Gotham late last night which only added more urgency to their search for Dr. Wagner.

"For the sake easing tension, I will lift my ban on non-essential chatter for now," Selina declared. Bruce was the first to speak.

"The sunrise looks beautiful, I think it looks brighter than the one we saw in New Hampshire."

"Every sunrise looks the same to me. Bruce," Selina replied.

"Alfred, what do you think?"

"I think a sunrise can look beautiful in some places than in others. This one for instance looks much brighter than the ones we usually get in Gotham. Then again there is nothing out here filling the air with pollutants and what not. Just us and mother nature in all her glory, Master Bruce."

"And amidst all this nature is our missing HVI who may or not be working with the goons who set off two chemical weapons in our city. We also don't know if the amount of goons is a few dozen or a whole army."

"Even if it's a whole army as you say Ms. Kyle, I am more than certain that we will prevail. We are backed by a force that seemingly has a plan for every letter in the alphabet."

"Best to keep your fingers crossed, Jeeves and hope we don't go beyond plan C.

"What do you, mean?" Selina turned to Bruce with a do I have to spell it out for you look on her face and despite her irritation decided to give him an explanation.

"If you have to go through more than three plans to solve a problem it means something has gone extremely wrong and more forces are needed to solve the problem."

"Back in my SAS days, I had a couple of missions that went pair shaped and ended up being resolved with a boatload of heavy ordnance dropped from on high."

"I hope our mission won't end up like those."

"Bruce, when are you going to learn that hope is just a four letter word?"

"She does have a point, Master Bruce."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he didn't learn a damn thing from his time on the streets with me," Selina grumbled under her breath.

"Cat Zero-One, this is Jason Leader. What's your status?" Emerson asked over Selina's radio.

"All good on our end. Your team?"

"Same here."

"Copy, we're approaching another wooded area. Cat Zero-One out. Alright, guys, we're going back into the woods. All debates stop now."

"Understood, Agent Kyle," Alfred said sounding slightly surprised that he just called her by her title. "Must be my shift back to serious mode from casual mode," he thought."

Fifteen minutes later, they reached a stream they would have to cross to reach them other side but Selina signaled Bruce and Alfred to halt upon hearing some mechanical sounds. She began to get a bad feeling and so did Bruce.

"Uh, what is that," Bruce nervously asked. Selina's cat senses told her what she needed and her team need to do.

"Fall back now," she shouted. Alfred grabbed Bruce and made a run for it along with Selina and it was good that they moved at the time that did because a hail of gunfire erupted from the across the stream. Bullets flew through the air and slammed into the trees and dirt as the trio scattered for cover. Amidst the chaos, they got separated and Selina hunkered down behind a tree that was wide enough to shield her from the bullets that flew by her on both sides.

"Cat Zero-One to Ice Queen, my team is pinned down by some jerks sitting on the other side of the stream we were just about to cross."

"Copy, Cat Zero-One. We got a solid fix on the hostiles engaging you. It's a group of eight automated gun turrets. You three keep your heads down for a few more seconds. Help is already on the way."

"Copy, Cat Zero-One out." "Bruce, Alfred, still alive?"

"This is Alfred, affirmative. We're just waiting for this hailstorm to pass. Selina was about to reply when a series of explosions shook the ground. Selina counted six and the gunfire instantly ceased. She popped up cautiously with her rifle at the ready and called on Bruce and Alfred to rejoin her.

"Ice Queen, this is Cat Zero-One. Thanks for saving us, but what did you hit those things with? My ears are ringing."

"A half dozen Strom-Breaker munitions from some F-35s. The birds are still on station if you need them again."

"Understood, Ice Queen. Just tell the pilots to go easy on my hearing next time."

"And ours too," Alfred said as he and Bruce approached Selina.

"Noted. Continue mission," Sandra said. "Ice Queen out."

"Bruce, how your ears?"

"Surprisingly, I feel fine. But the fact that we encountered opposition means we are getting closer to the people who may be holding Dr. Wagner."

"Or working for her," Selina replied then they crossed the stream VIA some rocks and continued their search.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Wyoming Wilderness

"Cat Zero-One to Ice Queen, come in."

"Go," General Hayes replied over Selina's radio.

"We just came upon a dirt and found some tire tracks."

"Do you know what kind of vehicle made them?" Ashley asked.

"Affirmative, a eighteen wheeler went through here and judging by the looks of these tracks I estimate it went through here a few days ago."

"I wonder what they were hauling," Ashley commented.

"I got a feeling we're gonna know very soon," Sandra replied then got back on her headset. Cat Zero-One, this is Ice Queen. I'm putting Reddingtion's assault force on the ground. They will link up with Emerson's team then join yours. Continue down that road and see where it leads."

"Copy Ice Queen, Zero-One out."

"Ashley and Sandra taught you how to read tire tracks during your training?"

"Yes, Bruce and much more."

"I received similar training when I was with the SAS," Alfred said as they got moving again.

AN. the next chapter will be longer. I had no idea I forgot to post this until now.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The lab

Late evening

Scott Griever ran into the office to deliver a critical update to the boss who was sitting calmly in the chair.

"Boss, one of the hostile groups just discovered the tracks left by our trucks and now they and the larger group are heading towards our location. They will be on our doorstep within the hour.

"Hmm, I knew this was only a matter of time. Tell your men on the outside to pull back and close the barrier. You'll have a better chance of fighting them on the inside if they make it through the barrier."

"Yes, boss. Griever replied than ran to carry out his orders. The boss knew the impeding fight was going to be a hopeless one for the guards. But the project was just about complete.

Wyoming wilderness

One hour later

As night began to return, Bruce, Selina, and Alfred walked into another clearing where they gained a visual on the facility. It was a fenced off area consisting of two four story buildings on opposite sides a tunnel leading to something under the mountain.

"I think we've found our jackpot, Master Bruce," Alfred commented as Selina scanned the area with the zoom and enhance feature on her rifle scope.

"See anything, Selina?"

"Nope. The hummers with the fifty cals on the roofs are empty. Nobody is manning the guard stations and the front gate is wide open."

"What about the buildings?"

"I didn't pick up anyone one on thermal and the entrance to the tunnel looks sealed."

"Excellent observations, Agent Kyle," Major Reddington said as he walked up about behind with six of his men.

"You guys sure are quiet walkers," Alfred said turning to greet them."

"You can thank the boots for that. We're like ghost on the battlefield."

"Or cats," Selina commented.

True, but I like the ghost comparison better."

"Friendlies six o'clock," Agent Emerson said as he arrived with his TAC team." It looks like the bad guys went indoors," he added upon making a quick observation

"They could've left some shooters in the buildings to ambush us the moment we set foot on the facility grounds and those machineguns are probably rigged to fire remotely. Agent Kyle, what did the Ice Queen say to you about areas like the one before us back in training?"

"If it looks too easy to enter, it's probably an ambush and the only way to clear it is from afar and above," Selina replied then grabbed her radio.

"Cat Zero-One to Ice Queen, come in."

"Go, Cat Zero-One," Sandra said.

"The area around the tunnel entrance appears to be abandoned, but Major Reddington thinks there might be bad guys lurking in or around the buildings."

"Do you agree with his assessment?"

"Affirmative. Can you clear the area for us?"

"Certainly," Sandra replied then turned to Seth. "It looks like your birds are up to bat again."

"Got it," Seth replied then proceeded to contact one of the six flights of F-35s that were patrolling over the vast area.

"Snake-Eyes to Anvil Zero-Five. You are tasked with engaging all targets in killbox Four Lima. Coordinates to follow." One of the Captains sitting at one of the terminals sent the coordinates of the facility to the flight lead via the inflight datalink who in turned shared it with his wingmen.

"Anvil Five to Snake-Eyes, coordinates received and we're inbound to target."

"Copy that. Hit'em hard," Seth replied. With the type of ordnance they were carrying, he had no doubt they would.

One minute after receiving the strike order, the four fighters reached the optimal range for weapons release and two of them released a pair of GBU-31s from their wings.

Thirty seconds later, impact. The four two-thousand pound bombs detonated within the buildings after punching through the roofs. The explosions completely obliterated the dilapidated structures along with the guard stations and the Hummer H2s parked next to them. The perimeter fence was also knocked down.

With the suspected ambush erased. Reddington called up the rest of his team which amounted to a total of thirty men and women and they along with Selina's and Emerson's team made their way onto the ruined the grounds and carefully scanned their surroundings for any bad guys that dared to pop out of the ruins.

But there were none and they entered the tunnel completely unopposed. The barrier which was up previously was knocked down by a salvo of four TOW missiles fired from one of the Stryker ATGM vehicles lurking in the forest made short work of it. Two of them exploded after breaching the barrier and the other two exploded after flying further down the hall.

There were guards at the ready, but they and their barriers were no match for the thermobaric warheads that went off within the tunnel.

As much as he didn't like it. Bruce understood the need of using overwhelming force to minimize danger to the team and accelerate their search but he hoped they didn't end up frying the person they came to save by accident.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Twelve minutes after entering the tunnel and passing the bodies of sixteen guards, the team reached a hallway that split off in two directions.

"What's our plan, Major Reddington?" Bruce asked.

"My team will go right. Agent Emerson, your team will go left with Agent Kyle's."

"Copy that. I will leave four men behind to hold down this hallway, the rest of you with me and Agent Kyle." Since the tunnels were dark, everyone lowered their NVGs before proceeding.

The advance was slow and quiet for Selina and her group but that was soon interrupted by the sound of gunfire from the other hallway. It was brief but sounded intense, Selina grabbed her radio.

"Mad-dog One-One, status?"

"We just dropped another group of bad guys," Reddington replied "Everyone on my team is still standing, carry on."

"Copy, Cat Zero-One out. If there were bad guys in hallway Red's team was advancing in, Selina knew there was a good chance they would encounter some bad guys too.

They kept going for eight more minutes then stopped upon hearing footsteps and voices.

"Yo Nick, you think we'll ever find out what they're making in there?"

"I don't really care Joey, just as long as we get paid for this glorified guard duty."

"There is more to a job than just pay you know."

"They must have no idea we're here," Bruce whispered.

"And it's too late for them anyway. You and Alfred hang back here with the rest of the team, Emerson and I will take'em."

"On you, Cat," Emerson said then Selina motioned for him to follow her.

The next thing Bruce and company heard was a quick round of gunfire followed by Selina contacting them over the radio. Two hostiles down, hallway cleared. Move up. The team quickly joined them and Bruce noticed Emerson standing over one of the bodies.

"Any idea who they are?" Bruce asked

"The patches on their vests say Ravenwood," Emerson replied.

"Who are they?"

"They're a PMC based in Wichita, Kansas. They accept security contracts form various clients around the world.

"Well it seems they picked the wrong client in this case," Alfred commented.

"We'll be sure to have a word with them after this," Emerson said. "Let's keep moving."

The team went further down the hall and spotted a glimmer of light.

"There's a room up ahead," Bruce said. Selina figured they would be fine without the goggles from here so she lifted hers and team did the same.

Instead of going straight in, the team formed up along the walls then Selina and Emerson pulled out a pair of nine-bangers and tossed them in. A deafening rumble filled the room then a few seconds later, the team stormed in with their weapons drawn. A quick sweep confirmed that the room was clear.

"It looks the people who were here left in a hurry," One of Emerson's men commented.

"Mad-dog One-One, this is Cat Zero-One. We've entered what appears to be a computer room. Not a single soul in sight."

"Well my team found the lab with an office on the upper level. We did a quick but thorough sweep but found nobody. Judging the by the size of it, I think there were over twenty people in here."

"And there's enough chairs in this room for eight," Alfred added as Bruce paced the room.

"This doesn't make any sense. The halls leading to this room and the lab are they only ways in or out. Where could everybody have gone?"

Suddenly, large flat screen Bruce stopped in front of popped up revealing a masked person wearing a camouflage uniform with no patches or tags.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Bruce Wayne, the FBI, and Division Nineteen."

"Red, are you seeing what we're seeing?"

"Yes we are, Cat. Reddington replied.

"Who are you?" Bruce asked.

"No point in hiding it any longer," the person replied then raised the mask and tossed it aside. Everyone was surprised at who it was."

"You're Dr. Rebecca Wagner.

"You are correct, Bruce."

"How do you know my name?"

"I use to work for your company Mr. Wayne, how could I not? I also recognize your girlfriend there in the combat gear. I remember seeing you two at one of the charity balls. You may not remember seeing me, but none of that matters now."

"Cut the crap, lady. It quite obvious you're not under duress," Selina shouted. Wagner chuckled in response.

"You are correct, Selina Kyle or whatever your title in Division Nineteen is. Anyway, I just came to say that you are too late to stop my evil plan. Or clean slate plan as I call it.

"Clean slate for what?" Bruce asked.

"Gotham City. You see, for too long it has been a hotbed of crime and corruption. That is all going to end today. In a matter of hours, me and my associates all of whom have lost one or more family members to the criminals of the city and were later denied justice by its sorry excuse of a court system will fly over the city and unleash my latest creation. The Tabula Rasa gas."

"So that's what you used in your first two attacks on the city."

"My gas attack on the prison and the rehab center were both test runs. This is the main event. Once it's released, it will envelop the city in a dark cloud that will suffocate all within except those at the FBI field office which has protections against CBRN materials since it's a federal facility, but the same can't be said for the rest of the buildings in the city."

"We're never gonna let you reach Gotham," Bruce declared.

"Oh that's right, the powers that be will send fighters to stop us. Well here is something for you and them to consider. We will be flying over many towns and cities on our way to Gotham. The minute we see fighters on radar, we will release the gas. If you opt not to stop us, we will still release the gas albeit over our target instead of some random city or town."

"Like I said before, we will not let you reach Gotham."

"Good luck trying to stop us," Wagner replied then looked at her watch. Well it seems I have a flight to catch, bye bye."

"Athena, this is Cat, please tell me you guys were listening in on our conservation."

"We heard every word of it and General Seth's guys are hard at work trying to find her plane." Ashley replied. "You guys need to rejoin with Reddington's team and get out of there. We got birds inbound to pick you up."

"Copy that, we're moving."

Cloud Nine.

"General Seth, I found the plane, and it's a big one," Captain Edgar said.

"Where?" Seth asked as Ashley and Sandra joined them.

"It just rose up from the ground eleven miles from the facility our team and it's taxing onto a dirt strip for takeoff.

"Oh my god, it is huge. I've never seen anything like it," Ashley commented.

"Seth, any chance your fighters can bag it on the ground?"

"Negative, Sandra. The F-35s I have in the air right now are currently at the tanker planes for refueling. But I got twelve more on standby in the hangar and I'm about to launch them right now."

"The bandit just took off," Edgar said.

"Ops center to Hercules Squadron, you are go for takeoff. I repeat, you are go for takeoff. Mission details to follow."

"Roger that, we're launching now."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Shortly after launching from Cloud Nine

Captain Copperfield looked to his right and left as the rest of his squadron formed up around him.

"Cloud Nine this is Hercules Leader, we are in combat formation and ready for tasking."

"Hercules Squadron, this is Snake-eyes. Your target is an unidentified aircraft we've desginated as the Mantis. It is being flown by Dr. Rebecca Wagner and her crew of associates who intend to use it to unleash a chemical weapon on Gotham City. Intercept and destroy. You should be getting our datalink now." Copperfield looked at his display terminal and the saw sensor data from Cloud Nine which showed their target highlighted in red. Big bird he thought.

"Uplink confirmed. Hercules Squadron let's go."

"Roger boss," Hercules Two said then the twelve F-35s changed their heading to put them on an intercept course to their target. With all relevant data coming from Cloud Nine, the pilots didn't need to turn on their radars.

As they flew across the night sky, Copperfield pulled up the loadouts of his squadron on the second screen of his terminal. They were all packing six AIM-140s in their bays, two AIM9-X Sidewinders on their wings and five THEL cannons. One in place of the 25 millimeter cannon used by the regular F-35s and the others were hidden beneath the skin of the plane in various places. These F-35s were the block four model. In time, the regular Air Force would get them.

Cloud Nine

"The fighters are booking it to the target, but given the distance it will be about twelve minutes before they are in optimal firing range," General Seth said.

"A lot can happen in twelve minutes. Dr. Wagner could order a course change to throw us off or increase speed to make catching her even harder," Sandra commented.

"We know her ultimate target is Gotham which she won't reach for several more hours given her current speed and any course changes she does make won't be a problem because we got her on our sensors dead to rights," Seth replied confidently. Sandra glanced over her right shoulder and noticed Ashley had her hand under chin as if deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about, little sis?"

"The third problem."

"Huh?"

Even if we shoot that plane down, there's still a chance the gas could spread upon ground impact and given that she intends to cover all of Gotham with it, you and Seth can bet both your asses that the Tabula Rasa kill radius is well over three-hundred square miles."

"Edgar, pull up all towns and cities in this state that are along the bandit's flight route."

"Yes, sir." A list quickly appeared on the screen next to the one tracking the target and the fighters. There were quite a few towns but they were all below the 300 mile mark. The list at risk locations would surely grow once it got over other states.

"Even so, we still have to stop it Agent Hayes."

"I was just about to get to that, General. Do you have any electronic warfare capabilities onboard that can allow you to take control of another plane?"

"We do have some very advanced electronic and cyber warfare capabilities, but they've never been tested in the way you're suggesting before."

"Well there's no time like the present, General Seth. What do you say we take a shot at it?" Seth wasted no time with his response.

"Edgar, see if you hack into that plane. Use JQ-136.

"Activating it now, sir."

After fifteen seconds of typing, Edgar looked at his screen in surprise."

"Well?" Seth asked with a tone of impatience in his voice.

"I'm in sir. I can lock out the pilot and copilot and take control whenever you're ready."

"Then do it," Sandra ordered then turned back to Ashley. Now where should we send it?"

"I know just the place. General Seth, let me talk to your pilots for a minute."

Hercules Squadron

"Six minutes to optimal firing range," Copperfield's automated warning and update system said.

"Boss, we are more than close enough to send our ALRAAMs up this bandit's tailpipes."

"Hold your horses, Hercules Two. I already have a plan that will give this bandit zero seconds to react when we fire. I will be sharing it over the IFDL shortly."

"Roger."

"Hercules Squadron come in. I repeat, Hercules Squadron come in."

"This is Hercules Leader, who is this?"

"This is Special Agent Hayes of the FBI, callsign Athena. We've just hacked into the Mantis flight controls and are changing its course to Middle Piney Lake. You're weapons free once it's over water."

"Roger that, Athena. Hercules Leader out. It's almost time boys and girls, master arm switches on."

Mantis

"What the hell just happened?" Dr. Wagner shouted after the plane did a sharp right turn.

"The system just locked us out ma'am, the plane is now flying itself," the pilot replied as he frantically tried to get back into the system.

"How?"

"We don't know."

"Can we still release the weapon if we need to?"

"Negative, we lost control of that too."

Wagner knew this was no accident, her plane of doom was under cyber attack.

"How did those bastards get into our system?" She shouted to no one in particular, her associates began to panic around her.

The Mantis continued towards the lake and unbeknownst to the panicking crew, there were twelve black F-35s tailing them like a pack of wolves on the verge of making the kill.

Twenty minutes later, the Mantis was flying over Middle Piney Lake, well off course from its cross country route to Gotham.

"Dr. Wagner we just received a message. I have no idea who it's from," the pilot shouted.

"Send it to my tablet," Wagner ordered. By now she and her associates were strapped into their seats. Additional panicking was pointless. The envelope icon appeared and she opened it. Her eyes widened upon seeing the message.

Have a nice swim Dr. Wagner.

The plane shook violently after a missile slammed into it then shook again as more hits followed.

Suddenly, four orange flashes of light appeared on both sides of the plane then vanished as two F-35s zoomed by the cockpit. Wagner knew what those flashes were but before she could say anything, the wings snapped off and the Mantis went into a nosedive. Copperfield and his wingman circled back just in time to see it crash into the center off the lake."

"Now that's what I call a splash," Hercules Two shouted excitedly.

"Hercules Leader to Cloud Nine, the bandit is down. I repeat, the bandit is down. Crashed right into the center of the lake as planned."

"This is Athena, good fucking job Hercules Squadron. You guys still got ordnance?"

"Affirmative, Two AIM-140s left along with our Sidewinders and lasers."

"Good, remain on station. We re-routing some of our teams to secure the crash site. You can expect Osprey's to touch down in fifteen mikes."

"Copy that, Athena. We'll keep the skies friendly and clear."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

V-22 Osprey

On route to Cloud Nine

"Hey Bruce, wake up," Selina said. After getting no response she did something that she knew for sure would wake him up. She popped him in the side of the face with her finger.

"Ow," Bruce said as he woke from his sleep then turned to Selina. "What was that for?"

"It's a new way of waking your ass up. But anyway, Dr. Wagner's flight to Gotham has been canceled."

"How?"

"Our friends did a cyber hijacking and flew it over Middle Piney Lake where the F-35s did the rest. Here's the replay of the final moments," Selina replied then handed Bruce a tablet showing the computer generated replay.

Upon the Mantis arriving over the lake, the F-35s fired four missiles each from their weapon bays then as the missiles pounded the plane, two of the fighters went in close to burn its wings off with their lasers then the giant plane went nose first into the lake.

"So I guess this means our mission is complete?"

"Almost, this bird just got orders to head to the crash site with two others. But fear not, we are on the verge of the final round."

"I hope there won't be too much excitement when we get there," Alfred commented.

Middle Piney Lake

Dr. Wagner dragged herself ashore after emerging from the water. By amazing luck, she survived the plane crash. She was the only survivor of her thwarted plan. Even more miraculous was that she only suffered minor injuries.

At least one of my lucky charms held up tonight she thought.

As she looked at the ground while trying to catch her breath, she began thinking about what she needed to do next. The first priority would be to get out of Wyoming before she was caught. But she was out in the middle of the wilderness and finding a means of transport would take quite some doing. The second goal would be to acquire a new group of disillusioned Gothamites and necessary materials to create a new batch of Tabula Rasa gas to unleash upon Gotham. It could take up to year to get her plan rolling again but as long as she remained under the radar, her plan would have a better chance of succeeding.

She was just about to get up when she felt something press against her head.

"I suggest you resist the temptation to do anything stupid," a female voice said. Wagner looked up and saw Selina with her M-23 assault rifle pointed right at her face.

"Humph, so they just sent you back out here to capture me?" Wagner grumbled.

"No," Selina replied then as if on cue, a half dozen lights popped on a few feet behind Selina. They were from the JLTVs and the members Reddington's team had their weapons trained on Wagner too.

"Dr. Wagner, you are surrounded. Do not attempt to flee or we will open fire. I repeat, do not attempt to flee or we will open fire," Major Reddington declared over a loudspeaker.

"Hands behind your head, please," Selina demanded. Wagner responded with a glare but complied, Bruce and Alfred came in from the right. Alfred took up a defensive position alongside Selina while Bruce proceeded to slap on the cuffs.

"Dr. Rebecca Wagner, by order of Brigadier General Sandra Hayes and on the behalf of the people of Gotham, you are under arrest."

"And my charges?" Wagner asked as if she really needed to know.

"I would be more than happy to go down the list, but I think treason is more than enough to cover all of them."

"I couldn't've said it better myself," Sandra commented as she and Ashley joined them. They arrived VIA Pavehawk not too long ago

"We honestly weren't expecting you two to join us."

"We couldn't pass up the opportunity to deliver the news to the prisoner's face, Alfred," Ashley replied.

"And what news would that be?" Wagner asked in disgust.

"We just got approval from the president to send you to the Iceberg facility." A look of absolute dread formed on Wagner's face. Selina noticed and guessed the woman must've heard of the place at some point during her time in the Army.

"Yep, you are never going to see the sun again," Sandra added then told Ashley and Selina to take her to one of the Osprey's.

"Well with her tagged and bagged, what's next?" Alfred asked.

"A salvage team will be here in the morning to recover the plane wreckage from the bottom of the lake. Reddingtons team will remain on station to cover them."

"Great, but how are you going to get her to that prison?" Alaska is quite a distance from here."

"Our flying base will get us there much faster than a commercial flight or military transport and it will also save us the trouble of having to touch down at Elmendorf Air Force Base, hopping onto an Osprey for a super long flight involving several mid-air refuelings.

"Sounds like you've sent people to the Iceberg before."

"More times than I care to count. One time I lead a prisoner escort team and we were stuck at Elmendorf for a week due to adverse weather."

"I can only imagine how fun that was."

"More like how fun it wasn't," Sandra replied

Iceberg Ultra Maximum Security Facility

Somewhere in Northern Alaska

The next day

After being processed and changed into an orange jumpsuit, Dr. Wagner was now being escorted down the hall by Bruce and Selina who had two MPs from the 25th Infantry Division in tow. The prison consisted of ten hexagon shaped buildings surrounded by troops dressed in artic combat gear with armored support provided by JLTVs and Stryker ICVs, the perimeter was covered by a high wall with snipers in the towers and the skies were constantly patrolled by Apache Longbows, Blackhawks and armed drones. A trio of F-22 Raptors was also on patrol, but they were flying at much higher altitudes.

Due to its remote location, flying was the only way to get there and the choppers and drones were stationed smack dab at the location.

The hexagons themselves had two stations, a processing station for new prisoners and a surveillance station that monitored the cellblocks or rings as they were called which were housed ten feet below. Each hexagon oversaw ten rings and each ring was ten feet below the other.

As they walked through the halls, of the ninth ring, Bruce noted that the place was just as intimidating on the inside as it was on the outside. Every cell he saw had two soldiers standing on opposite sides of the door with their M4-A1s as MPs went up and down the halls and he could hear the sounds of prisoners banging themselves against the doors and walls of their cells. Sandra forewarned him about this on the flight. Their behavior was a byproduct of constant solitary confinement. The only way a prisoner got released from the Iceberg was in a body-bag which was later cremated.

After walking what felt like an eternity, the group reached Wagner's cell and one of the MPs removed the bag from her head.

"Welcome to your final stop," Selina said before pushing her into the cell. Wagner turned to face them one last time.

"Before you shut the door, allow me to tell your boyfriend something."

"And what's that?" Bruce asked in a serious tone.

"With the help of your government friends, you may've stopped me from destroying Gotham City. But other challengers will come in the future."

"And whoever they may be, I will be ready for them."

As will I. Even if I'm no longer working for Division Nineteen by the time they show their ugly faces," Selina added. Wagner just chuckled in response.

"For Gotham's sake, you two better be."

"I've had enough of this bitch, close the door," Selina said. The MPs closed the door and the electronic locks went into place.

With their business with Dr. Wagner concluded, Bruce and Selina turned and headed for the elevator that would take them back to surface for their trip home.

AN. It was a long time coming, but we've finally reached the end. I hope you all enjoyed this story.

Fin.


End file.
